Mirrors: Playing with Reflections

f e a t u r e by Louise Parks Mirrors: Playing with reflections

hich of the following has ■ You’ve celebrated the dancing to play with that reflection is just Whappened to you? points of light reflected in an as old. In the ancient world, obsid- ■ You’ve been startled by your outdoor mirror ball. ian, a glass-like volcanic rock, was reflection in a store window. These shared experiences ground smooth and polished to ■ You’ve used a reflection in a highlight the curiosity, discovery, create the first mirrors, about 8,000 computer screen to tidy your and fascination humans have years ago. The Egyptians polished hair. with reflective surfaces, including copper while the Chinese and ■ You’ve noticed the fear in your mirrors. Indian cultures made mirrors from face reflected from the lake as polished bronze. you prepare to dive. History of mirrors While ancient civilizations ■ You’ve stared into the bathroom Noticing a reflection in a quiet learned that they could create mirror wondering when that pool of water goes back to the glass by heating sand (composed wrinkle appeared. dawn of human history. The urge of silica, soda ash, and lime) to

z extremely high temperatures, the t process was too demanding and gae n the results too unstable to make the work worthwhile. Not until by susa the first century and the invention oto

ph of glass blowing did glass become commonplace in jewelry, vessels, and even architecture. When lay- ered with polished metal, glass becomes reflective—a mirror. Today, glass production has changed little, save in the introduc- tion of color and agents that ensure clarity or opacity. Mirrors remain basically unchanged too, although the materials are more refined and more easily shaped into flat, con- cave (curving inward), convex (curving outward), and even rip- pling surfaces. Contemporary household mirrors are commonly made of glass backed with thin sheets of aluminum. Mirrors have an important place in the history of child devel-

© Texas Child Care quarterly / FALL 2015 / VOLUME 39, NO. 2 / childcarequarterly.com opment. Jacques Lacan, a psychia- can generally safely use heavy beveled edges; they cost less than trist, noticed that when babies glass mirrors in frames in the dra- $2 each. Check the edges and if between 15 and 18 months old matic play area if they are mount- sharp, wrap in cloth tape. Also look into a mirror they recognized ed permanently to a wall; acrylic, available at home stores are large themselves (the mirror stage). unbreakable mirrors on stands are sheets of mirrored acrylic board. This developmental milestone is less expensive and have the Ask to have the sheet cut into 2- regarded as an essential marker of advantage of being movable—for by 4-foot pieces—they are easy to the baby’s self-awareness and inside and outdoor use. Offer store and open the possibility of emerging identity as a distinct smaller framed, unbreakable hand cooperative art and socialization and unique individual. mirrors for table-top activities. activities. Avoid using unframed glass Alternatively you can buy high- Activities with mirrors; even if the mirror doesn’t gloss mirror board (shiny surface mirrors break, the edges of the mirror are on cardboard) in packages of 8 ½ Mirrors and other reflective sur- too sharp for young fingers. If X 11-inch sheets; 10 sheets cost faces are fascinating tools for your activity requires several about $5 at craft stores. You can exploration, discovery, and cre- small mirrors, consider using also find 1-inch mirror tiles (in cir- ativity. For every age group, make acrylic mirrors (though the reflec- cle, square, and diamond shapes). sure the mirrors are appropriate tion won’t be as precise as with These too are inexpensive and fun to the developmental skills of the glass) and wrapping the edges for art and science. They should, children using them. Infants and with cloth tape. however, be restricted to use by toddlers will appreciate plastic Mirror tiles, available at home school-agers who have been alert- mirrors mounted to walls, crib stores, are an inexpensive addi- ed to sharp edges. sides, and the ceiling over the dia- tion to the classroom. Typical Remember to clean and sanitize per-changing station. Preschoolers 12-inch glass tiles have ground mirror surfaces routinely. Babies,

z especially, will mouth the mirrors t as they explore. gae n Watch how play deepens when images—both children’s faces and

by susa their tools are reflected. Build a oto

ph tri-fold mirror by taping three 12-inch mirror tiles together side by side. Place the mirror panel at the manipulative table and observe. As children use construction bricks, Plexiglas® shapes, and jigsaw puzzles, the investigations slow and become more deliberate; the mirror seems to make the familiar materials more complex, more engaging, and more worthy of regard. Infants and toddler activities These youngest children learn most and best from sensory explorations. Prepare the environment and let exploration and discovery rule. Just make sure the

© Texas Child Care quarterly / FALL 2015 / VOLUME 39, NO. 2 / childcarequarterly.com space is safe and ready for creep- Show your emotion. Invite a mirror. Encourage them to self-cor- ers, crawlers, and toddlers. child to sit next to you in front of rect buttons that are askew and Mirror, mirror everywhere. a mirror. Demonstrate facial waistbands that are turned. Give the environment an honest expressions that express a range Same and different. Invite appraisal and try to find addition- of emotions—sad, happy, surprise, couples of children to stand in al areas for mounted mirrors. frustration, fear, or anger, for exam- front of the mirror. Either with a Place the mirrors along the floor ple. Challenge the child to name Rebus checklist or your verbal for babies who are just beginning the emotion and to mirror it in the direction, invite them to com- to scoot and crawl; the position mirror. With experience, children pare—hair color, hair length, will be appropriate for toddlers can play the game with each teeth, eye color, skin shade, cloth- too. other, taking turns making faces, ing, shoes, and so forth. If your ceiling is structurally naming emotions, and mirroring. Encourage them to use this care- sound, consider hanging a 24-inch Prepare an extension of the ful observation and comparison to square mirror over the diaper- game by writing the names of complete a self-portrait in the art changing table. Make sure it’s emotions on index cards. Invite center using collage materials, higher than an adult’s head to beginning readers to draw a card crayons, paint, and markers. Have avoid bumps but low enough that from the stack and showing the each child sign the self-portrait. babies can gaze at their reflections emotion the card directs. Reflections of loose parts. during changing time. String Getting dressed. Invite chil- Use a framed mirror as a tray for small toys and hang them from dren to put on dress-up clothes in table-top sensory exploration. the mirror so the baby can see the front of a mirror. Allow ample time Gather a variety of soft, textured, toy’s front and back surfaces. for trying on hats, wigs, scarves, loose parts. You might choose It’s shiny. Buy Mylar® squares and aprons. Similarly, ask them to materials from nature (leaves, at a craft shop. Cut large shapes put on their outdoor jackets at the twigs, feathers, and grass) or

and tape them to the walls and z t other durable surfaces. These are gae inexpensive and easy to move n from place to place for a shiny surprise. by susa oto

My picture. Tape a large photo ph of a baby to the wall mirror. Sit with the baby to explore facial features—on the photo and in the mirror. Invite conversation by asking, “Where’s Nico’s nose?” or “Pat Jessa’s hair,” for example. Bubble pop. Challenge a toddler’s hand-eye coordination by blowing bubbles toward a mirror and inviting the child to pop the bubble against the mirror surface. Preschool activities As children build skills across all domains, mirror play reinforces self-identity and introduces early science lessons on reflection and light. Support learning by allow- ing ample time for exploration.

© Texas Child Care quarterly / FALL 2015 / VOLUME 39, NO. 2 / childcarequarterly.com small construction links, buttons, angle you can increase the num- Invite the children to look into the bricks, or stacking rings. The ber of reflected images. Prepare mirror as they walk around the exploration changes when chil- the activity by drawing a 12-inch- area. After a designated time, ask dren can see both the top and long line on a large sheet of paper. the children to put the mirrors underside of an object. Draw additional straight lines down and to talk about what they Mono-prints on glass. Put from the end of the original line at experienced. mirrored tiles or a large mirror in a series of angles—from 180 Mirrored art. Arrange the the art area. Invite children to fin- degrees to 30 degrees. space so that there is a mirror ger paint on the glass surface and Provide small framed table-top close to the art table. Encourage to describe how what they feel is mirrors or 12-inch mirror tiles for the children to draw their reflec- different than when they paint on exploration. Place a small toy on tions or another classroom object paper. Make a mono-print (a sin- the table and show how to hold they see in the mirror. gle print) by placing a sheet of one mirror vertically and securely Written reflection. Invite paper over the mirror to lift the on the single line. Place the two children to use the mirror to paint. The print is a mirror image mirrors side by side (a 180-degree explore backward print. What of the painting on the mirror. angle) with the toy between. Ask happens when you hold the front If you use a large sheet of mir- the children to count the number of a book, a newspaper, or class rored acrylic, the children can of reflections of the toy. Adjust the height chart into a mirror? work together on a mural print. angle by putting the second mirror Encourage children to explore, Be prepared for a mess—and on another line and count again. discover, and record what they exceptional artwork. Chart the results noting the angle find. n Mirrors and water. Pour and the number of reflections. about 3 inches of water in an out- If the two mirrors are in a door sensory table or tub. Place straight line (180 degrees) they mirror tiles on the bottom of the will reflect the toy only once. At tub under the water. Invite chil- angles between 180 degrees and dren to look at themselves in the 90 degrees, there are two reflec- mirrors. Talk with the children tions. When two mirrors are par- about what they see. allel, the number of reflections is Invite children to disturb the infinite. water and to look for their images Encourage conversations about again. What happens as the water the reflections and ask children to becomes still again? Invite the build a hypothesis as they adjust children to add a few floating angles from wide to narrow. Ask, materials to the tub—a flower, a “Does it matter where you stand sponge, a leaf. Compare the imag- when you’re counting reflections?” es when the water is still, slightly Walking on clouds. Note: moving, and agitated. This activity demands careful supervision and is best done with Activities for older fewer than four children at a time. children Be careful to introduce the activity Mirror activities for school-age by making it clear that all the chil- children invite scientific inquiry. dren will get a turn. Share background information Take a few mirror tiles outdoors and give children the time to dig and designate an activity area that deeper and build skills based on is flat and has no tripping obsta- curiosity and creativity. cles. Give each child a mirror tile Multiple reflections. If you and show how to hold the mirror place two mirrored surfaces at an level and parallel to the ground.